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Post - Recording Journal

13 October ’16

Scent of steel and roasting coffee percolates through the door into the bedroom. Dwindling grey light of wet dusk seeps in from windows above my head. I sit on the corner of a bed, surrounded by Things: a cased guitar, a cleaved and limp rucksack, spewing entrails, a drunk water bottle, rain damp jacket, an exploded suitcase, sleeping pyjamas, a purple sitting cushion swaddled in a soft white shawl, singing bowls and buddhist books, sketches, scissors, wires and essential oils. Before me, glows the laptop. I can hear faraway chink of cutlery, laptop speakers playing music, friendly conversation in a language I cannot speak, breath of Berlin traffic. Mind is quiet. There is contented fatigue behind the eyes, soft ache in the limbs, the skin rests warm in soft and comfy materials.

We recorded and completed eleven tracks. One of them is a solo affair - the rest of them are with band.

And now I move, with eagerness, to tell about the band:

Declan Forde plays the piano and is from Glasgow. He came to Berlin to play free-jazz. But the music he plays here shimmers across a far broader spectrum. He is young, 24, but everyone thinks he looks older; he has a beard, maybe that’s it. He possesses a very positive disposition, though his humour has darker inclinations. Dec and I met about 6 years ago after I finished school and adventured to Glasgow for song’s sake. He introduced me to Tom Waits and Billie Holiday. So I’m eternally grateful to him, as you might imagine. Over the years I’ve heard his piano playing become more and more sensitive and liberated. Tonight, I will hear him play at the famous Donau115 with the famous Greg Cohen…

James Banner plays Double Bass. I met him about 5 years ago in Birmingham. He was studying jazz there alongside Dec’s brother, Leo. He saw me supporting Fink and, another time, singing in Paris where he also studied, but we didn’t actually come to ‘know’ each other until I came to Berlin for a month (where he now lives) two years ago. He and Declan became my brothers. We cycled around, ate falafel, listened to a lot of music and played mass ping pong games. Now, having studied at the JIB, James is, officially, a Master of Jazz. Bassists, I have noticed, seem obsessed with the idea of having a ‘sound’, like it’s a little, powerful daemon that follows each of them about. I think this might translate to an idea of Tone. James has a great ‘sound’. Full, rich, strong; Bit like the coffee he makes every time we invite ourselves round to his for brunch…

Paul Santner (pronounced Pah-ouhl) is the electric guitarist. But he plays double bass and piano too. And trumpet. Such musicianship and the simple, obvious ability of his ears are worthy of envy. Despite technical ability he plays all emotion. I gush, I guess. I didn’t know Paul until the month of May’16 when Dec recruited him to be in my band for a gig. What I remember of this first encounter is this: At the venue already, we saw him approach, guitar upon back. I went out to greet him, into the evening sun, tickling an old Spanish guitar that had hung from a nail on the venue wall. We said ‘hello’. He set about unbuckling his pedal case from the back of the bike and I continued to thrum. Barely another word was exchanged in the empty street and we, quietly, walked back toward the bar. During soundcheck, he played some lines that I was actually moved by. It feels the same as when I cry at the trailers before a movie - like I really shouldn’t be feeling this way when this isn’t even ‘it’. Paul was born in Salzburg, Austria and that’s about all I know to divulge.

Max Andrzejewski is the drummer within this beautiful collective. Cheerful. Musical. Honest. Solemn and devoted, especially in seeming acts of childishness. He gives a sense of fearlessness; I’m sure his presence encouraged us all to be bold in our explorations when arranging the songs. Expertly eared. I met him in May as well. A legend surrounds him as the busiest drummer in Berlin. Possibly Germany. Rarely in the city and rarer still is he without a gig or a rehearsal. I don’t know how I managed to book him. But I am grateful. He is very affectionate and sweet, however, when he needs to be he is ferocious. Some of the rhythms he hit and rumblings he thundered made my whole being shake.

At one point, Declan asked me how I’m doing with all this male dominant energy. My answer was that I didn’t feel without feminine energies. (That or I am more Man than I realised.) There were lots of cuddles and heads resting on shoulders. We danced a good deal. James and Declan - who are something like a married couple - made soup one day. Max made a delicious pasta pot the next. We spoke of loves and lovers and ex-lovers over pizza. Sometimes conversation did get grotesque. I’ll blame most of that on Declan as it was mainly in Scottish dialect that certain turns of phrase were used. I won’t repeat any of them.

The last member of the band is Axel Reinemer, the engineer and studio owner. I will speak about this brilliant human being in the next instalment.